Chaos in the CastleorPeace in the Palace?

It seems the entire world was captivated by the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Megan Markle this weekend. Thousands stood in line, some for days, just to catch a glimpse of the royal couple! Many more watched from the internet and social media. Dan and I woke early and watched live via the news network to see the fanfare and pomp and circumstance. It was spectacular! The American Cinderella wed her Royal European Prince and entered into a life committed to nobility!

Why are we so intrigued by royalty?As a young person, I was intrigued by Prince Harry's parents, Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles of Wales. Up until that point, I had only heard of royal families in the history books. Lady Di was the first royal bride that made a fairy-tale wedding a reality for me. I don’t even think I realized royalty existed in my lifetime until Princess Diana stepped out of her Cinderella carriage. I watched the entire ceremony along with the other 750 million viewers around the world. It was known as the “fairy tale wedding of the century." That day began my personal dream for a happily ever after.

As I was writing "Chaos in the Castle or Peace in the Palace?", it seemed like the cover of every magazine had something to say about their son and next royal heir, Prince William and his bride, Catherine Middleton. The future of the monarchy had begun. The next generation royals would eventually inherit the throne and wear the royal crown. With modern day access to the internet and social media, this young couple carried on the family tradition of royal weddings by captivating an estimated 108 billion viewers worldwide. It was the largest viewed royal wedding in world history until yesterday when Prince Harry Married Ms. Markle. The new Prince and his bride successfully multiplied the viewing audience by 150 times over the weekend, as compared to the number of viewers who watched his mom, Princess Di, wed his dad, Prince Charles.

Are you prepared for your royal wedding?I think if we’re honest, we’ve all been intrigued by royalty or fame in some way. It captivates our imagination. Every girl dreams of a royal wedding like Princess Di, Catherine Middleton, and Meghan Markle, where life seems perfect and everything falls into place, enabling the bride and groom to live in marital bliss forever. The royal wedding ceremony is viewed in our imaginations as a pivotal point to a grand future which is why the world watched as royalty wed. That’s also why many couples spare no expense to make their wedding day as breathtaking as possible, but the truth is a well planned wedding does not guarantee a happy couple a fairy-tale life. The grandeur of the wedding doesn’t determine the promise of its success.

According to a book released several years ago about Prince Charles and Diana, the author states they both wanted to call off the royal wedding the night before. As Lady Diana expressed her fear and the desire to cancel the whole event, she was told, “It’s too late; your face is already printed on the tea napkins.” As we all know, Diana divorced her Prince Charles fifteen years later, rocking the royal palace and creating public frenzy as the media accusations spun out of control about the stability of the family throne. The truth is, once the wedding is over and the guests are gone, the work of learning how to live together has just begun. Princess Diana had spent months in training on how to behave like a royal. She learned how to dress, how to present herself to the public, and how to take tea in the afternoon with diplomats, but no one had prepared her for how to be a wife.

What does "I DO" do?Somehow the two small but powerful words, "I DO", change everything for the two people getting married. Even people who have chosen to live together first, before marrying, still say once they recited their vows everything changed. Why is that? Could it be the promises made in the wedding day formalities actually hold some incredible power over the relationship once it is officially sealed? In my book, I delve into the history and symbolism of the wedding ceremony as we learn what all the pomp and circumstance actually means and why every wedding is meant to be royal.

Is Happily Ever After possible?As far as happiness goes, some couples go into marriage realistically knowing it won’t be that easy to find. In fact, they know it will be hard work, but they still believe with all their hearts they can overcome the challenge and live a life at least close to their version of Happily Ever After. On the other hand, some go down the aisle with blinders on and no idea what it will require to make a marriage last. Many unrealistically believe in the automatic fairy-tale ending before they even say “I Do”.

Some couples don’t believe in the wedding nuptials at all, so they simply choose the less complicated route without a solid commitment. They pack up their bags and their toothbrush and move in. That way if it doesn’t work out they can just call it a purely physical thing and move on by moving out. Despite how it all began for each of us, most of us still long to feel our heart skip a beat when our lover enters the room. We long for the simple brush of one hand against another to take our breath away for the rest of our lives. Unfortunately, after saying “I Do” or sharing dresser drawers, most couples quickly realize it’s not as easy as all the fairy-tales make it out to be. What if, however, it is easier than we think it is? What if we just need clear answers to tough questions, about this mysterious thing called love and marriage in order to find peace?

What's the answer?In 1 Corinthians 14:33a we learn that, “God is not a God of disorder but of peace” (NIV) What really makes a wedding royal?If we want to rid ourselves of chaos we have to dig deeper for answers in the Scriptures. After all, God was the one who performed the first wedding ceremony. The Bible, in essence, is a history book. Although many argue against its truth, archaeology has continued to prove its historical accuracy. Even if you don’t have a relationship with God, the relevance of the information in this history book called the Bible can’t be denied.

What did I learn?I was amazed and I think you will be too as I share in chapter five of my book some of the interesting facts I discovered about the wedding and its traditions. I unearthed some details that help define marital identity that can change your life no matter where you are in the journey of love. Many couples never realize the traditional wedding ceremony typically uses the Scriptures from the Bible's first wedding. In fact, not only are the vows we say found there but many of the rituals we do in the ceremony are actually found there. As I began to read and understand these ideas, I learned that the wedding ceremony itself is based on many covenant traditions. These ideas aren’t just formal vows written by a wedding planner, they are the water, sand, and gravel used to construct the foundation of a strong marriage that can last a lifetime. They’re meant to be the solid ingredients on which to build our palace. These ideas are our hope and our future for the wedding of our dreams and its success. The defining point in a royal wedding is the rich history of traditions and covenants the ceremony represents.

Were you created for royalty?We were all meant for royalty! In fact, we were designed for it. We were also created for a royal marriage built on unshakable ground. From the first wedding ceremony, the principles of till death do us part were put into place to give us the foundation we need to move forward in holy matrimony. Marriage is not just something we survive, it’s meant for us to thrive in royal marital bliss! What an incredible gift we’ve been given. I hope you’ll follow me through my book, "Chaos in the Castle or Peace in the Palace?" as I unpack everything I learned in my own journey. It will change your life. It will set you free to be royalty and live nobly for a lifetime.

Purchase the book here:https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=chaos+in+the+castle+or+peace+in+the+palace